Page 27 of Her Duke’s Second Chance (Regency Second Chances #1)

CHAPTER 27

“ H eavens,” Georgiana stopped short as she entered the dining room, her jaw dropping as she looked around.

Rose petals were scattered across the floor, and a huge bouquet stood on the side table. The larger dining table was empty, but a much smaller round table had been positioned close to the fireplace, with just two silver and crystal place settings. The sideboard was covered with an array of aromatic dishes.

The room was lit with scented candles and a fire burned merrily in the grate.

Robert stood by one of the chairs around the smaller table and smiled at her. When her eyes landed on him, he gestured to the chair and pulled it out invitingly.

Georgiana’s heartbeat sped up as she walked towards him.

“You look lovely,” he said, as his eyes swept appreciatively over her frame.

She blushed and reached up self-consciously to touch her hair. “Thank you, Your Grace,” she said shyly, before taking her seat.

He walked over to the opposite chair, sat down, and poured each of them a generous glass of wine.

He lifted his glass in a toast. “I know you must be… befuddled as to what I am about tonight. So, I would like to reassure you that all I want is to spend a cozy evening with you enjoying good food and good conversation.”

Georgiana looked around the room. “You certainly have made it very warm and inviting in here. It is both cozy and comfortable.”

“So, you like it?” he asked.

She nodded, still looking around. “I do.”

“Good.” He got to his feet. “Coming up first is the soup and bread. Chef has very kindly made your favorite soup—mushroom and chicken in a bed of cream.”

“Oh. How lovely.” He handed her a bowl of the soup as well as a small plate with a freshly baked hot cross bun and a pat of butter. “Mmm, everything looks delicious.”

Robert took his seat, smiling as he tasted his soup. He paused, letting it sit in his mouth as she looked on expectantly.

“Well? Do you like it?”

He swallowed. “I admit that I was skeptical when I heard the combination of ingredients, but it is really quite delicious.”

“Yes, when I was quite young, I had a governess who would make it for me. I am afraid I grew quite addicted to it.”

“Well, I can see why. How long did she stay with you?”

She shrugged. “A few years…but eventually, she had to leave as we could no longer afford to keep her.”

“Do you know where she is now?”

She sighed. “Unfortunately, no. I would not even know where to start looking.”

“I know from personal experience how heartbreaking it is to form an…attachment…when you are young, only to have that person snatched from you without your control.”

She paused, her spoon halfway to her mouth. “Do you mean your mother?”

“Among others.” He gave a strained smile.

She immediately cast about for a change of topic. She did not want his mood to turn sour.

“So, what made you come up with this idea?” she asked. “Is this your usual way of courting women?”

He laughed. “Well, I do like to make an effort, but I ordinarily do not go to this length.” He glanced up, giving her a hesitant look. “After last night, I did not want to leave our next encounter to chance. I thought it high time I took the reins.”

“Oh…” Georgiana was at a loss for words.

If she was being honest with herself, effort was exactly what she had wanted from Robert. She had almost given up believing she would ever get it.

He peered keenly at her. “Are you ready for the next dish?” he asked.

She nodded, putting aside her spoon. “Yes. I am. What is next?’

“Herb-roasted stuffed chicken with a savory sauce, I believe. How do you feel about that?”

“It is one of my favorite dishes. I cannot believe you knew that!”

Robert smiled. “Good. I am glad it is a treat. It will only make this night more memorable for you.”

“Oh, I doubt I will forget this dinner.” She grinned.

He inclined his head to the side with curiosity. “Would you care to expand on why that is?”

She chuckled. “It is rather mortifying, but I will tell you.”

“Please.”

“I grew up in a family headed by two irresponsible parents. That meant that if anything needed doing, I was the one who had to make sure it was done. As such, I had no time for daydreaming about ideal husbands or magical evenings. I never had any suitors come to call on me or invite me anywhere. Even you, my dear husband, treated our union as something of a transaction. So today is the first time that a suitor has gone all out for me.”

Robert’s mouth turned down. “I am the one who should be mortified. I punished you with my behavior for things that were not your fault.”

She frowned. “Punish? What do you mean?”

“I had come to believe that any woman who showed me any type of affection was immediately in danger of death. My mother died in childbirth and my first betrothed died in an accident. I was convinced that the only way to ensure it would not happen again was to distance myself. You were a casualty of that decision.”

Georgiana felt her heart melt at his painful explanation. It clearly was not easy for him to show her his vulnerable side. Nevertheless, she felt compelled to point out the obvious flaw in his reasoning.

“Are you saying that you somehow caused all those deaths?”

“Of course not. But one cannot turn a blind eye to recognizable patterns.”

“Unless one was seeing patterns where none exist.”

Robert raised an eyebrow. “Is this an argument? I do not wish to quarrel with you.”

Georgiana took a deep breath. “You are right. I apologize. I did not mean to trivialize your feelings. Selfishly perhaps, I wanted to feel as if the possibility of love between us was there, and I cannot see that happening if you fear that you might cause my death as a result.”

He blinked at her, clearly thrown off by her admission. “That is…honest.”

She shrugged. “Please excuse my bluntness. I was not taught much about airs and graces and the genteel ways in which a lady should speak.”

He leaned forward to look in her eyes. “You were too busy making sure there was food to eat.”

She huffed in amusement. “I suppose I was. Even if I was not…I do not think it was ever in my mother’s nature to help anyone.”

“What an unusual observation. Please, do elaborate?” He picked up his wine glass and drank from it heartily before resuming his meal.

“Well…she was very…” Georgiana waved her hands about, trying to think of the right word. “She…is…well, she thinks about what she wants and then expects she will get it. She is unaccustomed to making any kind of effort. Her father was a knight, and she was his only daughter. He doted on her. His greatest wish for her was that she marry a man with a title because that was what she deserved. I believe she expected everyone else to feel the same way, or at least act accordingly.”

“Hmm. That must have been exhausting for you.”

Georgiana laughed. “Perhaps. But I did not know any different. I think now, having had a year of not having to think of anyone but myself and my household, if I were to go back home, I might find her exhausting.”

“What of your father? Did he indulge her as well?”

“He was too busy gambling. They both enjoyed it immensely, so they understood each other.”

He reached across the table and squeezed her hand. “It sounds very lonely.”

She blinked away her sudden tears. She had not expected him to make that deduction. Georgiana swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded.

“Some…sometimes it was. But then,” she gave him a watery smile, “there was Daisy. She was such a sunny child; it was difficult to be unhappy around her.”

Robert’s hand stayed over hers as he sighed. “I am sorry. I did not mean to make you cry.”

“You did not. I am just being…mawkish with remembrance.”

He squeezed her hand again. “Then I must think of something to lift your mood. Dessert perhaps? They made a chocolate gateau, especially for you. Mrs. Green told me it is your favorite.”

Georgiana gave a wet laugh. “Well, that , and the puits d’amour .”

“You caught me,” Robert said. “That was the second part of our dessert.”

“That is very kind.”

“It is my pleasure.” He lifted her hand, kissed it, and looked deep into her eyes.

She held her breath, suspended in a moment of wonder as she watched him take her hand and press his warm, soft lips upon her knuckles as his piercing eyes stared into her soul.

I need to exhale.

He rose from his seat, walked to the sideboard, sliced two pieces of cake, and brought them to the table.

“Shall I call for coffee?” he asked.

“Yes,” she replied, mesmerized by his graceful movements.

He reached for the bell and shook it. A footman appeared, and Robert placed his order for Irish coffee. Within moments, the footman returned with a kettle and teacups, placed them on the table, and immediately withdrew.

Georgiana hardly spared him a glance. She was too busy reveling in Robert’s undivided attention while savoring the burst of chocolate in her mouth.

“This was a very thoughtful thing to do, Robert. I want to thank you.”

“No. Do not thank me. Allow me to thank you .”

“For what?”

“For agreeing to be my wife. Pardoning me after I abandoned you here in the city while I continued with my life. For taking such loving care of this home and the people in it. You are remarkable.”

Georgiana blushed. “It is nothing,” she murmured.

“It is everything to me,” Robert said.

After dessert, they retreated to the music room for a digestif. Georgiana looked around the room curiously, as though she had never seen it before.

“So many musical instruments. Does your grandmother play?”

“Oh, everyone in my family did,” Robert replied.

She cocked an eyebrow at him. “Do you?”

He laughed. “Yes, of course I do.”

“What do you play?”

Robert stood up and moved over to the harpsichord. He struck a few keys and found that they were in tune. Smiling, he sat down on the bench, pulled it closer to the keys, and began to play a tune.

“Oh!” she exclaimed with delight as she rose and stood beside him. “I know this song.”

“Sing it with me.”

It was an old Celtic lullaby his grandmother used to sing to him. He had not encountered many Englishmen who knew it.

Georgiana began to sing, her voice pure and sweet and he joined her, providing a melodic counterpoint to her soprano.

Eventually, he stopped playing and got to his feet. Taking her in his arms, he gently guided her around the floor in a waltz.

It felt magical to him, like nothing he had ever experienced before. The sensation of her body pressed against him, moving in tandem with his, caused every nerve in his flesh to awaken and light on fire.

His eyes moved to her lips and his own parted hungrily.

“You are all mine, Georgiana,” he whispered.

With no further thought, he bent down and took her mouth with his.

An explosion of sensations overcame him. He drowned himself in her soft, warm mouth, inhaled her lavender scent, tasted the chocolate and Irish whiskey on her tongue, and listened to her dreamlike sighs. His skin tingled and he kissed her with increased passion, silently thanking God that He had brought her to him.

Georgiana pulled away from him abruptly, stumbled backward as if in a drunken haze, and wiped the taste of him from her lips.

“What is the matter?” he asked in a husky voice startled by her actions.

When Georgiana did not respond, he reached out for her, but she stepped farther away. He frowned, confused by her behavior.

“Did I do something wrong??”

“I do not want…” she turned away, “I did not like…” she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and tried again. “I do not like the start, stop nature of this…these interactions. Yesterday we…and then you…I…no explanation, no…epilogue.” She made a sound of frustration. “I am not making myself clear.”

He reached out and put his hand on her shoulder. “I understand,” he said gently. “That is why I arranged for this evening. I knew I left things hanging, or we did…yesterday. What about this? Let us…adjourn to my chambers and sit down. If you want more than that, fine. If not, I shall escort you to your chambers and wish you goodnight.”

“Why can we not sit in my chambers?” she asked a bit sulkily.

He laughed. “Fine. Let us go and sit in your chambers.”

She nodded and he reached for her hand, clasping it in his. “Shall we take the wine?”

She glanced over at their half-full glasses and the nearly full decanter of wine. She nodded. “Yes.”

He released her hand and collected the bottle and glasses. He handed her a glass and they both finished the remainder of their wine before Robert retrieved the glass from her.

Carrying the bottle and glasses in one hand, he clasped her hand and led her from the room.